Deeper Than Skin
by linetteflys
Summary: His crimson eyes danced over the scar that has tainted her nude body; the scar that forever bounds her to the past; the scar that makes her very similar to him. A bitter smile graces his lips. —HaineNaoto.


**Deeper Than Skin**  
Anette Lyy

Standard disclaimer applies.  
**notes:** Edited 122809.**  
**

* * *

She was asleep.

Yet her pretty face was still tense, and her fist still clenched, and the sadness and agony, still very present. It stained her like ink, or more precisely, like the thick red fluid that oozed steadily from the cuts of enemy blades and holes from enemy guns, that were imprinted mercilessly onto her body.

Haine was sure it was memories that hurt more than wounds—even as every few minutes, she would wince and her pretty face would clearly reveal her discomfort.

Wounds could heal over time—he knew that better than anyone—but internal damage, the remembrance of pain to the mind and body, will never fully heal. It can hardly be forgotten, much less cured of.

Therefore, she is asleep. And she is remembering. And she is in agony.

The battle was over, temporarily of course. Giovanni had come and gone like a big earthquake as per usual—destroying everything in its path and then disappearing, leaving behind the heavy damages as the evidence of its presence.

Haine was a mess afterwards, covered in bullet holes, suffocating blood fumes, and he just might have a headache. Badou was nowhere to be found, probably off doing his own thing, having his ass handed to him, taking care of his own business. And only barely surviving whatever it was that busied him.

At least the Bishop was present. Ernst—as he recently revealed himself to be—returned shortly after Giovanni and his army of black soldiers receded. The so-claimed 'blind' clergyman was currently in the process of calming down Nill.

Nill was a big mess too. She wasn't physically hurt—Granny Liza would never let that happen—but Nill had seen Naoto get tossed around, more than just a few times. The delicate angel was frightened for Naoto's sake and refused to release her hold on the bloody katana-wielder; Nill had, from the very start, been extremely attached to Naoto and she was terrified to lose her.

Haine understood that fact; Ernst understood that fact. And therefore, Nill was detached—kicking and hitting and bathed in tears of anguish—from Naoto and taken back to the confides of the church.

Ernst didn't reveal much on his location when the battle erupted hours ago. When he returned, he simply took Nill back home and told Haine to take care of Naoto's injuries on his own or let her die, whichever helped him sleep at night. Granny Liza had her own kin to worry over and Badou was missing at the moment.

Thus, brings us to a dark room where Naoto is currently sleeping. And Haine is hopeless as where to start on her endless injuries.

Both of them, fighting side-by-side, ended up as a pretty cut-up-and-shot-down pair. But Haine wasn't full-human like Naoto was, and he could regenerate quickly. Right now, the katana-wielder was just a bloody mess sprawled out on the floor of his nearly blown up apartment.

After several hours simply sitting with his crimson back pressed against the wall and listening to the chaos outside mixed with Naoto's harsh breathing, Haine finally came to the conclusion that, Naoto is losing blood as the hands of the clock proceed to spin. And if a normal human loses too much blood, it will surely end in death.

With that prospect in mind, Haine quickly rose to his feet and did the one thing he always partook in after he was thoroughly shot at, over and over again. He scooped her up—flinching upon contact of her icy skin—and headed towards his bathroom. Or what was left of it.

Haine carried her with one arm under the bent of her knees and the other under the nape of her neck. Upon reaching the door that was barely hanging by its hinges, he kicked it down, not really taking into consideration the status of the sleeping woman. He carefully set her on the counter of his bathroom and—_dear Lord_. Was he suppose to _undress_ her? But she's not like him; she's a _girl_for gods sakes.

_Shit_.

Faced with this new challenge of their different genders, Haine shrugged it off after a second of thought. She was bleeding uncontrollably and on the verge of death. Would she really care if a guy—that was in the process of saving her life for that matter—saw her naked?

Whatever. She would be down for a few days anyway. She can chop him up later. When she was alive and kicking again.

Haine began to undress her. But it was proving very difficult because the zipper was not cooperating, so—since this _was _a life or death situation—Haine just threw the 'gentleman' approach out the window, and ripped her clothes off. Granny Liza has plenty of dresses she can wear later on; as for tonight, Naoto will just have to survive on an abusive amount of bandages and his coat; _her_coat was with a tearful Nill.

Which is how he finally saw what was haunting Naoto every second of the day, every moment of her life. Haine couldn't help but smile bitterly at how much it resembled his "neck ring." Except that it was bigger. And closer to the heart. And marked her beautiful body in the most hideous way; but she was still pretty, he supposed.

It was a big 'X' that slashed across the majority of her torso. From the top of her breast down to the bottom. It was unforgivable; it plagued her; it forced her to remember. And worst of all, it made her more like him; and Haine knew that Naoto hated that. She didn't want to be categorized with him. _Never_.

It truly was unforgivable.

With that thought, Haine ripped off the rest of the clinging garments, carried her over to the shower—that thankfully still worked, unlike the rest of the burnt down complex—and turned on the water. He stood there, holding her around the waist as she leaned on him, her feet barely grazing the shower tiles, her arms dangling limply to the sides.

He didn't mind simply standing there as icy water sprinkled onto the both of them; he kept his mind blank—so as his phobia wouldn't kick in—and dark.

Haine was still fully dressed—in the hope that this'll lighten the anger and punishment he'll receive from Naoto—as he held her in his arms, their bodies pressing together, and the water washing away the crusted blood on her skin, washing away the touch of filthy black soldiers that kept coming, washing away her agony and pain.

If only for a while; if only a bit.

And strangely afterwards, as he unskillfully patched her up—or technically, wrapped her in plentiful bandages he found scattered all over his apartment; to the point that Naoto looked sort of like a mummy—Haine noted that he never once thought about her dying.

Sure, the girl that pestered and poked around him and his past, could very well _die_. But that didn't mean that she was _going_ to.

He never once thought of her abruptly disappearing from his life, not really anyway. Now that his mind mulled over the images of a life without a pretty girl waving around a black katana, Haine concluded it might possibly suck to lose someone on _his_ side. For the time being, that is.

He quickly brushed the thought away and tied the last few knots of the bandages. He then left her briefly as he rummaged in his closet for a coat, and returned to drape it around her.

For some reason unknown to him—it was probably the darkness, or the coldness, or simply the fact that they were alone and she was shivering—but Haine let her graciously lean her head on his shoulder.

At least till he got tired, reasoning he had done more than asked of him as her acquaintance, and shoved her to the side.

.

.

.

_Fin_

* * *

(This is where I um, shall rant. Skip to protect your eyes.)

Admittedly, yes. Haine is a bit out of character. But given that Naoto is presented as a smashed tomato, and Haine doesn't flinch when he touches her necessarily—

Though there was that one chapter, in which I remember very clearly. Where Naoto fell. And Haine caught her. BY THE WRIST. And it was pretty awkward because I was like: Hmm, you can bite a guy's face off but you can't catch a girl properly? So. Un-_MANLY_. But I love him dearly :) that is the truth. Even if he apparently only accepts Nill.

—I hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me and my peculiar little fantasies. This is hosted after Ch. 42.

Naoto's time will come by the way. We all must have hope :) or well, if I must hope on my own, then so be it.

Thus, thank you for at least sparing a glance. Reviews are appreciated. And while your at it, why don't you voice YOUR thoughts on Haine's personality, and hopefully, I'll do a better job to portray it next time—I like what I've written.

(Is he really THAT out of character? I'm very worried that he is, hence the whole ranting/rambling bit. And one more thing. Just because Haine cleans Naoto up, doesn't means he's irrevocably in love with her or anything. They're FRIENDS, sorta; he's allowed to do at least that much, right? Okay. I'm finished. Sorry.)

Thank you :)


End file.
